Infantry Officer with The Royal Canadian Regiment,
Military Historian,
Urban Operations Instructor & Urban Warfare Historian,
Senior Fellow
@UrbanWarfareCtr
1/2
Short🧵
"The future of warfare lies in the streets, sewers, high-rise buildings, industrial parks & sprawls of houses, shacks & shelters that form the broken cities of our world. We will fight elsewhere, but not so often, rarely as reluctantly & never so brutally.
⬇️
🇺🇦
1/2
Short🧵
"They taught me that no man could be their leader except he who ate the ranks' food, wore their clothes, lived level with them, and yet appeared better in himself."
– Colonel T.E. Lawrence, "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom."
🌻
1/8
Short🧵
"Lessons Learned:
- Good, well-trained men will die in combat. NOTHING REPLICATES THIS.
- 'Team' must be solid BEFORE deploying.
- Inside (buildings) is better than outside (buildings).
🇬🇧
1/9
Short🧵
Good for a chuckle.
During the Peninsular War (1808-1814) Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington allegedly wrote a letter to the British War Office after he/his staff were consistently pestered by staff officers wanting administrative details.
The fighting in the city of Severodonetsk is becoming interesting; in my many years of urban warfare research I cannot recall any urban battle in history where such a large counter-attack by the defending force has occurred. A new precedent?
@ChasAHKnight
?
@INTELonIRAN
?
Maps:🧵
Severodonetsk Frontline Update- Ukrainian forces have counterattacked and recaptured at least 20 percent of lost territory, the town of Met'olkine was liberated(East Of Sevrodonetsk). Heavy battles continue in the centre reportedly near the "Jazz Mall".
1/9
"I didn't mean to leave the charge, but sometimes it happens. Strength and Honour. Nich."
- The statement written by Captain Nichola Goddard, Forward Observation Officer (FOO) with the 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (1 RCHA).
🇨🇦
1/2
Short🧵
"I think I'm slipping, boys."
– The last words of Sergeant Vaughan Ingram (photo below) of 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI) after being wounded from RPG fire during a battle in Afghanistan 03 August 2006 (18 years ago today).
🇬🇧
9/9
1. To train an army of uniformed British clerks in Spain for the benefit of the accountants and copy-boys in London, or perchance,
2. To see to it that the forces of Napoleon are driven out of Spain."
1/5
Short🧵with attached video.
Even the fighting for this small Ukrainian town highlights some of the phases, challenges & necessities of urban warfare:
1. Use of assets for aerial surveillance of the urban area;
2. Use of mortars in support;
⬇️
1/4
"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. Be a good friend.
🇺🇦
When I read/hear somebody write/say that "Ukraine should just surrender in order to make peace," I think of Canadian Armed Forces chaplain O.A. Hopkins when he once stated:
"There is little use in passing resolutions on vegetarianism when the wolves are of another opinion."
🌻
1/4
Short🧵
"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears.
2/8
- Live fire exercises build cohesion and confidence. This took away the initial fright of enemy fire.
- Warrior mentality is CRITICAL!! TRAIN FOR WAR, NOT NTC, JRTC, etc.
- Everything must be related to combat.
🇺🇦🇬🇧
1/8
Short🧵
The majority of the replies that accompany this
@saintjavelin
tweeted video are showing astonishment that this Ukrainian soldier could so calmly drink a cup of coffee in the midst of a battle; but it's not as eccentric as you might think:
8/9
She was killed in action when her armoured personnel carrier was struck by a rocket propelled grenade during an enemy attack.
Quo fas et gloria ducunt.
Ubique.
Strength and Honour.
4/8
I also learned that it is much better to be inside buildings than outside in the city. It isn't always possible, but whenever the force can have more protection it has to be done as long as you can still accomplish the task.
5/8
The 50 meter battlefield is very fast, very close, and very frantic.
Everyone needs to be able to assess the situation, and doing that while in the street with enemy fire incoming from several directions is extremely difficult.
6/8
Being inside a building gives leaders and men a moment to evaluate the situation and think; the streets provide no such luxury. In the streets the fight is close; it is instantaneous; there is nothing harder in combat."
🇬🇧
6/9
This reprehensive carelessness may be related to the pressure of circumstances since we are at war with France, a fact which may come as a bit of a surprise to you gentlemen in Whitehall.
7/8
– Sergeant First Class Matthew Eversmann fought in the Battle of Mogadishu 03-04 October 1993 & here provides some of his lessons learned from that particular urban fight.
1/8
Short🧵
The Russo-Ukrainian War has thrown into sharp focus the need to understand urban warfare & its historical lessons learned.
May I kindly suggest the following case studies written by both
@SpencerGuard
& myself. Each case study is relatively quick to read; each...
1/2
Short🧵
I'm somewhat taken aback. For all intents and purposes the Russians have effectively isolated Bakhmut physically & with firepower, yet the Ukrainians somehow continue to tenaciously defend it.
Maps:
@Pouletvolant3
(left) &
@ChuckPfarrer
(right)
1/9
Short🧵
With thanks to
@RALee85
for this video & his very correct comment.
For those of you who do not know how thermobaric weapons work or how truly & horribly effective they are:
"In the Second Chechen War, the Russians introduced the use of quantities of fuel-air or...
Russian TOS-1A thermobaric MLRS strikes in central Bakhmut. Unfortunately, this a very effective weapon in urban terrain even against defenders in well-fortified positions.
8/8
From "Capital Preservation: Preparing for Urban Operations in the Twenty-First Century – Proceedings of the RAND Arroyo-TRADOC-MCWL-OSD Urban Operations Conference, March 22-23, 2000," edited by Russell W. Glenn.
🇬🇧
5/9
Unfortunately, the sum of one shilling and ninepence remains unaccounted for in one infantry battalion's petty cash and there has been a hideous confusion as to the number of jars of raspberry jam issued to one cavalry regiment during a sandstorm in western Spain.
🇨🇦🇦🇺
1/8
Short🧵
"The entire Brigade, and particularly the Australians and Canadians, had ample reason to be proud of their achievement.
At a cost to the two battalions of...
(Painting: "Holding at Kap'yong" by Edward (Ted) Fenwick Zuber, courtesy of the
@CanWarMuseum
).
🇬🇧
8/9
I construe that perforce it must be one of two alternative duties, as given below. I shall pursue one with the best of my ability but I cannot do both.
🇬🇧
7/9
This brings me to my present purpose, which is to request elucidation of my instructions from His Majesty's Government, so that I may better understand why I am dragging my army over these barren plains.
🇬🇧
3/9
...by dispatch rider to our headquarters.
We have enumerated our saddles, bridles, tents and tent poles, and all manner of sundry items for which His Majesty's Government holds me accountable. I have dispatched reports on the character, wit, and spleen of every officer.
🇬🇧
2/9
"Gentlemen:
Whilst marching to Portugal to a position which commands the approach to Madrid and the French forces, my officers have been diligently complying with your request which has been sent to H.M. (His Majesty's) ship from London to Lisbon and then...
5/5
14. Be prepared for enemy counter-artillery fire because now they know you're in the town. Seek shelter soonest; and
15. The need for all fighters to train for casualty triage & challenging urban casualty evacuation (
@Zarelepotec
).
1/8
Short🧵
The Russo-Ukrainian War has thrown into sharp focus the need to understand urban warfare & its historical lessons learned.
May I kindly suggest the following case studies on the
@WarInstitute
's website & written by both
@SpencerGuard
& myself.
Each case study is...
1/2
The current war in general & the fighting in Sievierodonetsk in particular have thrown into sharp focus the need to better understand urban warfare & urban defence. May I kindly suggest this quick-read article by both
@SpencerGuard
& I which discusses some methods...
🇬🇧
1/8
Short🧵
An incredible act of combat that occurred 80 years ago today during the Second World War (1939-1945).
Victoria Cross citation:
"Cairns, George Albert.
Lieutenant, Somerset Light Infantry, attached 1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment.
13 March 1944.
🇵🇭
1/2
Short🧵 with case study attached.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines use of Italian Oto-Melara Mod 56 105mm pack howitzer artillery guns in the direct fire role was one of the many reasons for their success during the urban Battle of Marawi (23 May-23 October 2017).
@Stu_Lyle
PA 105mm Howitzer firing atop a building in Marawi, 2017.
During the siege they lacked the firepower to destroy concrete bldgs the enemy were using as cover, hence the howitzers were used in direct fire mode.
This case, they built a ramp and rolled it over atop.
🎥Arty Regt.
🇺🇦🌻
With thanks to
@WarintheFuture
for posting the original article. General you're continuing to shoot dead-center mass of the target Sir.
May I kindly suggest you read the thread first before you read the article at the end. Slava Ukraini. 1/11
🇨🇦
1/9
"I didn't mean to leave the charge, but sometimes it happens. Strength and Honour. Nich."
- The statement written by Captain Nichola Goddard, Forward Observation Officer (FOO) with the 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (1 RCHA).
With a kind thank you to
@sameo416
for tweeting this diagram of mouseholing at Ortona.
@SpencerGuard
's & my latest timely case study just released today on his Urban Warfare Project section of the Modern
@WarInstitute
's website below the diagram.
You can call this timely or a shameful act of self-promotion, but
@SpencerGuard
's & my latest case study, the urban battle of Ortona, has just been published on
@SpencerGuard
's Urban Warfare Project section of the
@WarInstitute
website:
1/4
Short🧵
"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears.
1/19
Medium🧵
The 13-minute video included in this🧵has a very intimate urban warfare close quarter combat action that occurred recently in the town of Petropavlivka, Ukraine.
The video's producer also provides a visual word narrative to give further information/context.
I'm agnostic, however I appreciate these two verses & their possible military context:
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
- John 15:13
“When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.”
– Proverbs 21:15
2/5
3. The necessity to hide armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) while in the urban defence. The Russians fail to do that here & they pay the price;
4. Use of indirect fires in support;
5. Breaking in & gaining lodgment can be chaotic;
6. High ammunition expenditure;
⬇️
🇨🇦
1/2
Short🧵
"I think I'm slipping, boys."
– The last words of Sergeant Vaughan Ingram, 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI), after being mortally wounded from rocket propelled grenade fire during...
3/5
7. When dismounts are moving "slow is smooth, smooth is fast;"
8. Good to see the Ukrainians using AFVs in support;
9. The necessity of training for close quarter combat;
10. The collateral damage outside & inside a building which makes it challenging to approach & clear;
⬇️
🇨🇦
2/2
After saying these words, Sergeant Ingram slumped over and died.
From "Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army" by Christie Blatchford (1951-2020).
🇦🇺🇳🇿
1/5
Short🧵
"The true role of infantry is not to expend itself upon heroic physical effort, not to wither away under merciless machine-gun fire, not to impale itself on hostile bayonets, but on the contrary, to advance under the maximum possible protection of the maximum...
4/5
11. Even small urban areas have subterranean parts (
@RichemondBarak
,
@SapperGeologist
);
12. The challenges of communicating in combat;
13. Be careful with the use of tracer rounds; the enemy will see from where you are firing;
⬇️
3/9
Captain Goddard was much admired by the soldiers from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) task force, as she had demonstrated numerous times throughout her operational tour that she could "bring the rain" - dropping artillery shells & controlling...
2/9
Captain Goddard wrote the above statement in a "in the event of my death" letter to her family while she was serving with Canada's Task Force Orion in Afghanistan in 2006.
4/9
...the fire of helicopter gunships - accurately onto enemy positions.
Captain Goddard liked using the term "Strength and Honour" frequently. It was somewhat a mystery to her family & friends, who could not figure out where she had picked up that particular phrase.
1/7
Short🧵
The Russo-Ukrainian War has thrown into sharp focus the need to understand urban warfare & its historical lessons learned.
May I kindly suggest the following case studies written by both
@SpencerGuard
& myself. Each case study is relatively quick to read; each...
5/9
It was later discovered by Canadian journalist Christie Blatchford that it was a statement often made by the task force's commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Hope, who used to say it to his subordinates after briefing them. He in turn...
🇺🇦
1/7
Short🧵
"Look into an infantryman's eyes and you can tell how much war he has seen...I don't make the infantryman look noble, because he couldn't look noble even if he tried.
7/9
On 17 May 2006 (18 years ago today) Captain Goddard had been calling in artillery fire and controlling Apache gunship helicopters successfully for a majority of the day against enemy positions somewhere in Panjwayi District, Afghanistan.
1/12
Medium🧵
"'The phrase that pays:'
- Shoot till the enemy goes down.
- Never move faster than you can accurately engage the target.
- Fight the enemy, not the plan.
- It's a three-dimensional fight.
- Combat patience, be prepared or be dead.
1/30
Long🧵
The urban fighting in Bakhmut, Ukraine gives me an opportunity to send out an updated & lengthy🧵on medical support/considerations in urban operations.
Due to the enemy being in the next room (thus close quarters combat); because concrete, brick, stone, steel &...
This is how the frontline hospital in
#Bakhmut
looks like. Under dangerous and difficult conditions, combat doctors save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
#StandWithUkraine
📷 Chris McGrath
"The future of warfare lies in the streets, sewers, high-rise buildings, industrial parks, and sprawls of houses, shacks, and shelters that form the broken cities of our world. We will fight elsewhere, but not so often, rarely as reluctantly, and never so brutally...1/2
🇦🇺🇳🇿
1/16
Medium🧵
Good for a chuckle (if you're a Colonial).
A bit lengthy but a story that occurred 10 April 1941 (83 years ago today) during the Battle of Tobruk, North Africa in the Second World War (1939-1945).
Context: Australian soldiers are digging trenches.
1/6
The current conflict is highlighting the greater need to become knowledgeable about urban warfare. May I kindly suggest the following 5 case studies written by both
@SpencerGuard
& I. Each case study is relatively quick to read; each offers an introduction, a synopsis...
c. Don’t micromanage sniper teams & don’t tell them where to go; just tell them what you would like them to do, what the high value targets are & who you need them to protect. They’ll figure out where to position themselves & how to do these tasks. 7/19
1/7
Short🧵with case study attached.
"Time taken to clear a single (two story) house was about one and a half hours - if fire support was not used. The US managed to totally dominate the streets through the use of ISR (intelligence, surveillance, recce) and fires.
🇺🇦
"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."
- G. K. Chesterton.
Slava Ukraini.
🌻
A short 1-minute video of the urban fighting in-and-around Bakhmut, Ukraine. Note the high amount of collateral damage; the use of mouseholes; the use of armoured fighting vehicles.
Thanks to
@WarintheFuture
&
@CPapuschak
for making me aware of the video.
1/7
Short🧵
The Russo-Ukrainian War has thrown into sharp focus the need to understand urban warfare & its historical lessons learned.
May I kindly suggest the following case studies written by both
@SpencerGuard
& myself. Each case study is relatively quick to read; each...
🇨🇦
1/5
"If I could rename my street, I would call it Sgt. Donald Lucas Drive because he was my dad and was killed in Afghanistan and he was very special to me."
– The statement written by Matthew Lucas of Paradise, Newfoundland sometime in May 2011.
1/10
I'm on the
@MriyaReport
this evening & the subject of thermobaric weapons became a topic of discussion. If you do not know what these weapons are - or how awfully destructive they are - then have a quick read of this short thread:⬇️
If you are interested in learning more about urban warfare history & the strategic, operational & tactical lessons that can be derived from them, you might enjoy
@SpencerGuard
's and my five case studies:
Stalingrad (August 1942-February 1943):
🇨🇦
2/2
...a battle in Panjwayi district, Afghanistan 03 August 2006 (17 years ago today).
After saying these words, Sergeant Ingram slumped over & died.
From "Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army," by Christie Blatchford.
1/6
The current conflict is highlighting the greater need to become knowledgeable about urban warfare. May I kindly suggest the following 5 case studies written by both
@SpencerGuard
& I. Each case study is relatively quick to read; each offers an introduction, a synopsis...
1/2
Short🧵with a long🧵attached.
I have seen🇷🇺employ incorrect armoured fighting vehicle tactics throughout this conflict so many times, I am no longer surprised when I see videos like this.
Thanks to my urban operations brother from another mother
@Stu_Lyle
for the retweet.
🇷🇺 Tank in urban area seems like Marinka but not sure on that one.
The 🇷🇺 every time they manage to take a line of buildings they bring their tanks and bmps from the flanks of the compounds they took over and trying to smoke out the infantry from the next line of buildings.⏬
Do you want to professionally develop yourself on urban operations, urban warfare & urban warfare history? I will kindly suggest
@SpencerGuard
's work on the Modern War Institute's Urban Warfare Project. I have been kindly invited to contribute to it also.
If interested in learning more about urban warfare history & the strategic, operational & tactical lessons learned from some selected battles, you may wish to review
@SpencerGuard
's & my five case studies:
1. Stalingrad (August 1942 - February 1943):
1/21
Long, complex🧵
Small mortars as a critical weapons system in urban warfare.
With thanks to
@Stu_Lyle
for reposting this
@ArmyinScotland
post below.
1. Artillery must be used in urban operations but they do have some challenges when used in the urban environment.
Happy Red Hackle Day! 3 SCOTS were practising the power of MORTARS recently in Sennybridge Wales. These awesome weapons can be fired from relative safety near buildings using sandbags, see the story here! And best enjoyed with the SOUND ON!
#mortars
#3scots
#britisharmy
Have you become interested in urban operations, urban warfare & urban warfare history? I will kindly suggest
@SpencerGuard
's work on MWI's Urban Warfare Project. I have been kindly invited to contribute to it also. Articles, podcasts, case studies & more:
2/4
Be humble and be self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle. And take responsibility for your actions. Never forget those that were killed. And never let rest those that killed them.”
1/6
The current conflict is highlighting the greater need to become knowledgeable about urban warfare. May I kindly suggest the following 5 case studies written by both
@SpencerGuard
& I. Each case study is relatively quick to read; each offers an introduction, a synopsis...
2/2
My urban operations brother
@SpencerGuard
talks to
@KofmanMichael
on the latter's very recent trip to Bakhmut & what he observed while he was there:
My good friend
@SpencerGuard
is also one of the world's leading students of urban operations, & here is one of the reasons why: his "Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender" translated, published & distributed throughout Ukraine. Fantastic work John!
Hot off the press! Thousands of copies of the "Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender" being distributed to Ukraine for free thanks to
@nash_format
and Task Force Translation.
#SlavaUkraini
#urbanwarfare
Special shout out for Ukrainian troops & combat medics holding on in town of Bakhmut & surrounding area. In Donetsk region, for months they've heroically withstood everything Russia's thrown at them - allowing
#Ukraine
to launch offensives in Kharkiv, Donetsk & Luhansk regions.
🇨🇦
1/13
Medium🧵
A military history story that demonstrates why you can almost trust Canadians. Almost.
In 1936, 5,200 Canadian veterans of The Great War (1914-1918) with their family members were travelling to France to participate in the Vimy Ridge Memorial’s unveiling.
4/8
...energy while the mere fact of doing something familiar & pleasant in the company of others was as reassuring as the light of a fire in the jungle that keeps the wild animals away.'
Mawson's remark perfectly sums up the physical & psychological value of food to the soldier.
2/8
The video above reminded me of a discussion by British historian Richard Holmes on the important physical & psychological value of food & drink to the soldier:
"Captain Stuart Mawson, medical officer to a British parachute battalion at Arnhem, savoured a cup of tea in...
Stalingrad, 1942; Ortona, 1943; Manila, 1945; Berlin, 1945; Seoul, 1950; 1st Grozny, 1995; Sadr City, 2004; Aleppo, 2014; Mosul, 2016-2017; Raqqa, 2017; Marawi, 2017. What were some of the defensive methods used in these grueling urban warfare battles?
1/20
Long, complex🧵
Today’s lesson: small mortars as a critical weapons system in urban warfare.
Thanks to
@Stu_Lyle
&
@Zarelepotec
for the retweet below.
1. I do support the use of artillery in urban operations but they do have some challenges when used in urban warfare.
🇨🇦
1/13
Medium🧵
Good for a chuckle.
A demonstration of why you can almost trust Canadians. Almost.
In 1936, 5,200 Canadian veterans of The Great War (1914-1918) with their family members were travelling to France to participate in the Vimy Ridge Memorial’s unveiling.
🇺🇦
"Battles are won by the infantry, the armor, the artillery, the air teams, by soldiers living in the rain & huddling in the snow. But wars are won by the great strength of a nation – the soldier & the civilian working together."
- General Omar Bradley.
Slava Ukraini.
🌻